Survey checklist - what's missing?

Pam Arons, an organizational development consultant with the US National Grid sent me an e-mail pointing out an important question she believes was missed off this week's Source Comms survey checklist:

"I didn't see 'determine the purpose of the survey' in your great tip list," says Arons. "In my research for my doctorate, I have found all too frequently the drive to carry out the survey is driven by 'we always do one annually or bi-annually,' without truly considering what the genuine purpose for doing it is."

So, do you think too many workplace surveys are just undertaken for their own sake, without thought to a wider motive and purpose? Or do regular surveys play a sensible role in corporate planning by being a tracker of trends?